The Gender Hypocrisy of the Liberal Left on Women and Sarah Palin

Every successful Republican woman politician today faces the inevitable question … is she the next Sarah Palin? It's unfortunate that every Republican female leader is put to this same litmus test by the liberal media. The question infers a judgment … that Republican women are not unique or independent-minded individuals; instead, easy to caricature and stereotype.

Liberals who pretend to be pro-woman demonstrate their hypocrisy in perpetually asking the question necessarily making the inference GOP women can't possibly be smart or capable. Liberals cannot claim to be "pro-woman" if they continue to deride a certain class of women, namely conservatives, simply because they differ ideologically.

Liberals are waging their own War on Women – a war on women who choose to identify as Republican or believe in Republican ideas. And it is as disgusting as it is hypocritical.

Here's a short list of how the liberal left has demonized accomplished strong Republican women by Palin-izing them:

It's the liberals seemingly above-board speak for insulting Republican women … and they are getting away with it. The "next Sarah Palin" is acceptable code for liberals to call Republican women unintelligent, unaccomplished and undeserving. It is a label reserved only for Republican women who – on the basis of their gender and party affiliation alone – become targets of the liberal left. Liberals fail to account for the vast differences between these women, preferring the politically expedient course of discrediting their intellect and capacity with broad and unsubstantiated accusations.

This is not a criticism of Sarah Palin. Governor Palin was herself the target of a liberal media machine desperate to see Barack Obama elected to the White House. Agree with her or not, she was elected a mayor, a governor and was on a national ticket – certainly accomplishments few others have achieved. Liberals have taken the personal and derogatory attack machine used against Sarah Palin and are attempting to turn it into mass production destruction of GOP women.

Notably, the Republican women under attack today are leading their states and the nation in markedly different and better directions than under Democrat leadership. For instance, Governors Falin and Martinez, both of whom are up for re-election this year, are among the most popular governors in the country with approval ratings in the 60-percent plus range, a testament to their policies and governing style. The notion that Republican women can lead and succeed is anathema to liberals and threatening to their core. They have pinned their hopes on the "women's vote" and part of the strategy is denigrating conservative females who threaten that electoral strategy.

It is a form of bullying, the implication that any woman must be stupid if she dares to disagree with liberal dogma. And it's not just Republican women leaders who are attacked – it's millions of women who believe that government takes too much, dare to support pro-life causes, or want greater accountability in their schools.

Democrats hypocritically express their desire for more "respect" and "fairness" for women. The most popular word in 2014 seems to be "equity." But they do not extend that fairness and respect to Republican women. They need to be exposed for their hypocrisy and called to task for their own unfair treatment. Gender equality is a myth even in Liberal La-La Land.

Nicole McCleskey is a Partner with Public Opinion Strategies, a leading national political, public policy, and public affairs research firm.